Long fuel queues persist in Lanka

Long queues snaked around gas stations in Sri Lanka's commercial capital and its outskirts yesterday even though the island nation's government was scrambling to deliver fuel supplies and douse any unrest as it battles a devastating economic crisis. Kanchana Wijesekera, Sri Lanka's minister for power and energy, said supplies of 95-octane gasoline, mostly used in cars, had been received and were being distributed across the country of 22 million people that has been struggling with fuel shortages for months. "With the 2 cargo vessels unloaded, petrol stocks will be available for the next 6 weeks comfortably," Wijesekera said in a tweet. Another 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol supplied by India had also reached Sri Lanka yesterday, the Indian High Commission (Embassy) said, two days after New Delhi delivered 40,000 tonnes of diesel to its southern neighbour.